Safe Haven
by InvestInLove
Summary: Derek know something about their relationship is off, and he's determined to save her, but how can he when she won't let him? Eventually MG
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**This is my first shot at Criminal Minds, and it might be terrible, and it doesn't help that I haven't been watching the show for very long, but this just came to me and I had to do it. I've recently fallen IN LOVE with the Morgan/Garcia relationship- I'm hooked, big time, and I don't think I have ever seen a cuter relationship on TV. Oh, and this will make Kevin look really bad, but so be it- I HATE him. I think he's a creeper. :)**

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It all started with just another "urgent" two AM call. Derek Morgan headed down to the BAU office for the case briefing, too tired to even bother getting the coffee he knew would wake him up.

When he arrived, the team was all there, waiting. "Anyone seen Garcia?" Hotchner asked. "She needs to be here for this too."

"She's not picking up her cell." JJ said. "I've tried calling 5 or 6 times in the past hour. It's not turned off, because it's still ringing a few times before it gets to voicemail."

"Maybe she fell asleep in her office again." Reid offered.

"I already checked." Emily said. "No sign of her or her cell."

"I'm going to go check on her." Morgan said, getting out of his chair.

"Not so fast, Morgan. She'll probably be here any minute." Hotchner said, stopping him at the door.

"I have to. Maybe I'm just being over-protective, but she's already been shot and I'd rather not risk something else happening to her when I'm not there." He said.

The look of genuine worry in his eyes and the desperation in his voice convinced Hotchner to let him go. They all knew how protective he was of her, and, even if they all doubted it, if something were to happen to her he would blame himself. That was why no one said a word as he walked, or practically ran, out of the room, determined to get to her as soon as possible.

It didn't take him long to get to her apartment, as it was a ride he'd taken so often that he could practically get there in his sleep. As he walked up the steps, he prepared himself for the worst.

He unlocked her door with the key she'd given him after she'd been shot, and was more than relieved to find her on her couch, sleeping, an old movie playing on her TV with the volume on low.

He didn't want to wake her just yet, even though he knew they both needed to get back as soon as possible, but he couldn't help but just watch her for a few seconds. She looked so peaceful, laying there with pink sweatpants and mismatched, bright colored socks- one with polka-dots, the other with stripes, and he couldn't help but smile. There was no one like her.

The jacket she was wearing, however didn't look like her at all. It was dark brown, and it practically swallowed her. He saw the edge of something stitched in the corner and, deciding to be nosey, lifted it up just enough to see what it said. "Property of Kevin Lynch," was stitched in, not very clearly, looking like it had been done by him. Although he wasn't sure he was a big fan of Kevin's yet, even he had to admit that he thought it was sweet that he'd given her his jacket, even if it was more of a high school sweetheart relationship type thing.

At least, that's what he was thinking until he saw the purple. When he'd flipped the jacket open, it had lifted her t-shirt up , just slightly, but enough for him to see a small patch of skin, bruised dark purple. He lifted her shirt a little more, trying to be gentle, and was shocked to find that the bruise spread a few inches farther. She suddenly stirred a little, and he quickly covered her exposed skin back up, fuming. Could it really be possible? He thought. Could Kevin really have done that to her? No, he realized, he couldn't just jump to conclusions like that. As much as he hated the idea, he knew he'd have to ask her about it.

Her felt her move again, and suddenly she was wide awake, sitting up, her eyes wide and panicked, breathing so hard he was afraid she was having a panic attack.

"Shh, baby girl, it's just me." He said quietly, sitting beside her, putting a calming hand on her arm.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her breathing still not completely regular.

"There's a case. Everyone's been trying to call you." He said. "I was worried."

"Oh." She said, sounding guilty. "I sort of don't exactly know where my phone is right now."

"That's not good." He told her. "What if there had been an emergency?"

"I know." She said, sighing.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You're not acting like yourself."

"Yeah." She said. "I'm fine." But she still didn't seem like she meant it. He hadn't seen her smile since he got in there, and she hadn't even called him any of his usual nicknames or made any sexual innuendos.

"Okay," He said slowly. "If you're really okay," He reached over and lifted up her shirt, revealing the bruises he had seen earlier. "What is this?"

She just looked at him, her open in a slight "O", but after a few seconds she seemed to recover, and her eyes looked angry and accusing. "What, you have x-ray vision now?" She asked angrily.

"Uh, when I came in, your shirt was up a little." He said, realizing that what he'd actually done would probably make her feel like he had invaded her privacy.

"Oh." She said, and suddenly he wanted to hit himself. By not pressing, the question right away, he'd given her a chance to make up an excuse. He was a profiler; he should have known better. "I rolled into my desk."

"What?" He asked, but he could practically see her, getting too worked up going back and forth between computers, and sending her chair flying into the table just a little too hard. He had to laugh. It was such a typical sounding thing for her to do that the possibility of it not being true seemed nearly impossible.

"Laugh all you want," She said with a slight smile. "But at the time, it was not funny- it hurt!"

"I'm sorry." He said, his face serious again. "For making assumptions."

"It's okay." She said. "I understand. You're just over-protective. Isn't there a case?" She added as an afterthought.

"Oh. Yeah. Right. Go get ready and I'll drive you." He said.

"I can drive myself." She argued, but the look on his face said he had already made up his mind. "Fine." She agreed, rolling her eyes at him, pretending that she really didn't want to ride with him, when really she'd like nothing less.

He called everyone once she had gone in the other room to get ready to tell them she was okay and that they would be there soon.

She was out in a few short minutes, and as they walked out to his car, he noticed she had started to act more like herself. He was crazy, realized, for making the assumption that Kevin had hurt her. Of course he hadn't. After all, he loved her- or at least seemed to care a lot about her, from what he'd seen.

However, he might not have been thinking that had he known that, at that same moment, she was thinking about how thankful she was that he had believed her lie.

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**I know this was not great, and sort of short, and people probably won't even like it, but I'm really only putting this up now to see if anyone DOES like it. I'm waiting for a response to see if I should continue, so please review (:**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Wow, I was shocked at all the response I got from my last chapter- I NEVER thought this would get anyone's attention, especially not the way it did. Sorry for taking so long to update, but I had exams this past week so I've been pretty busy. **

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Even after he had convinced himself that everything was fine, he couldn't help but notice that she was quieter than usual, more reserved. He was almost afraid to leave her alone, as if he might miss something if he did, which was why he decided to stop on the way in for coffee, knowing that every second with her would count.

Because he had been called in this late on so many occasions, he knew all of the places that actually stayed open that late, and he also knew that she, being the caffeine addict that she was, needed coffee as well.

He couldn't help but laugh as we watched her fix her coffee the way she wanted it. "Are you going to have any coffee with that sugar?" He teased, as she poured in packet after packet of sweetener.

She smiled, but didn't respond. He raised his eyebrows. "Are you _sure _you're okay?" He asked. "You haven't talked back to me since I picked you up."

She laughed. "It's too late, or early, however you want to look at it, to be funny."

That didn't completely convince, but he knew they would probably send a search party out looking for them if they didn't get there soon, so he let the subject drop for the moment., figuring he would have the rest of the day to try and get her to talk to him.

Turned out, he didn't. After they were briefed on the case, he found out they had to go to Boston, where a serial killer had already killed five girls in the past three months. However, they had just caught on because they were all of different races, social classes, and neighborhoods.

Before they left, Derek went to check on her one last time, hoping that she would at least be acting more normal, because if there was even something slightly off, he knew it would drive him crazy every second, and he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the case.

He knocked before he walked in, knowing that ever since she'd been shot she had been especially jumpy, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her like he'd done that morning.

She opened the door a few seconds later, smiling when she saw that it was him. "Thanks for actually knocking." She said after he walked in. "Kevin always just comes in and scares the shit out of me, no matter how many times I tell him to knock."

That made Derek a little angry, but he tried not to show it. "Want me to get the point across to him?" He asked, half-kidding but half-serious.

She laughed. "No, it's okay. I just keep the door locked most of the time now."

"We have to go to Boston." He told her, trying not to look as unsure as he felt.

Her face fell. "Oh." She said. "You know you can call if you need anything."

"How am I supposed to call when you don't have your phone, babygirl?" He reminded her.

"I do have a phone _here_, remember?" She said.

"Yeah, but you're not going to stay _here _24/7, are you?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I usually do when we have a case." She said.

He sighed, and shook his head. "Babygirl, you know that's not good. You need to go home and sleep every once in a while."

"I have a couch!" She protested. "You should go before they leave without you."

"Yeah." He said, putting his arms around her. "We'll be back as soon as we can." He said, knowing how lonely she got when they left.

She gripped him tighter, almost digging her nails into him. It was unusual for her, so he just held her longer, becoming more confused by the second. He kissed the top of her head lightly, almost afraid to let go. It was obvious that something was wrong, and he hated the thought of leaving her.

It just figured that Kevin chose that exact moment to walk in. She stepped away from Derek so fast it almost seemed like he had burned her. "Kevin, hey." She said nervously, and had Derek not been looking at Kevin's slightly angry expression, he would have noticed the fear in her eyes.

"I'll see you in a few days." Derek said, turning to look at her, although he was debating whether he should even go or not.

"Yeah." She said awkwardly, giving him a small forced smile, and even though he knew it was a bad idea, he went against his better judgment and walked out of the room, leaving his baby girl there to deal with God-only-knew-what, alone.

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She watched Derek walk out of the office, wishes she could have stopped him, begged him to stay, let him be the hero she knew he loved to be. But when the door shut behind him, she knew there was no chance of that.

She waited as Kevin just stood there looking at her, still a safe distance away. She wondered what was going through his head. She wondered what was going to happen- what he was going to do- this time.

A few more seconds passed and he pulled something out of his pocket, sitting it on the table beside him. Her cell phone. "You left it at my apartment." Was all he said, which she knew was a lie. The last time she'd been there, she knew for a fact that she'd kept it in her purse the whole time. He had taken it from her without her knowing. The thought almost made her sick.

"Do you realize," He started. "How many damn times they called you last night?" His voice got louder with every word.

"N-no." Her voice shook, and she backed up a few steps.

"Twenty-eight! Twenty-eight fucking times at 3:00 in the morning!" He was full on yelling then, and she braced herself for what she knew was coming. "And do you know how many times Derek Morgan called you?" Of course. It was always about him. "Twelve!" He threw the phone on the ground, and she winced as the screen shattered.

"There was a case." She said quietly.

"Oh, so your job is more important than me?" He yelled. "Is that what you're saying?"

"No." She said quickly, even though she knew that it wouldn't matter. He had reached the point where nothing she said could bring him out of what ever state of mind he was in.

She knew she was right when she felt the all-too-familiar feeling of his fist on her face, and she tasted blood in her mouth immediately. She stumbled backwards, tripped, and fell, hitting her head against the table behind her.

She was shocked. He had never hurt her at work before, but should she be surprised? The team was gone. There was no one there to save her now.

As always, he realized what he'd done, he helped her up off the floor, apologizing over and over, told her it was the "last time" as he always had before. It didn't mean anything to her now. She believed that he meant it, that he wanted it to be the last time just as much as she did, but she wasn't naïve enough to fall for it as she did in the beginning.

He left her office, leaving her there to cry, wishing she had just let Derek step in and be her hero when she had the chance.

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**Oh jeez, sorry that it was so….depressing. But it always has to get worse before it gets better :). And sorry it was so short, and that it took me so long to update. I've been trying like crazy, especially over the weekend, but the creative juices decided to remove themselves from my veins. I'll try to be faster, promise :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**So sorry to all of you for being so slow, really! I started a new semester in school and I've been having a lot of homework, and I'm barely home on the weekends, I've just been busy…sorry. I'll try to do better- I REALLY hate making all of you wait because I know how much I hate waiting for things to be updated. Thanks for all the supportive reviews, keep them coming :).

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The trip lasted much too longer for Derek, even though it was one of the shorter ones- only four days. He had called Garcia as much he could, trying to make sure she was okay, but he only got enough courage up once to talk about anything other than the case.

_Two Days Earlier_

_Derek stared at the phone, debating whether or not to call. To say he was worried would be an understatement. All he had thought about since he'd walked out of her office was her. He knew something was not right between her and Kevin; he just wished she would trust him enough to say something._

_Finally giving in to his growing worry, he picked up the phone and dialed her familiar number. "Garcia." She said, and for the millionth time he missed the flirty way she used to answer his calls._

_"Hey, Baby Girl." He said nervously. "I need to talk to you about something."_

_"Uh, okay." She said, but he could hear the nervousness in her voice. "Anything."_

_"You haven't been acting like yourself lately." Was all he could manage. _

_"What do you mean?" She asked._

_"You know you can't lie to me, Baby Girl. Your voice always changes when you lie." He said._

_"I hate profilers." _

_"Seriously. Please, if there's something going on, you can tell me." He said, softening his voice._

_"There's nothing going on." She said, and he could tell she was trying to sound convincing, but failing miserably._

_"Are you sure? You sound terrible." He said. "When was the last time you slept?"_

_"It's not that. My sleeping patterns have been screwed up since I started this job, you know that." She said. _

_"You realize you just admitted that there is **something **wrong, right?" _

_"I've just been stressed." She said. "Nothing you need to worry about."_

_"Stressed about what? Lynch?" He asked, finally putting the obvious out there._

_"I guess that's part of it." She said, but he could tell she was lying. _

_"Why? You fight a lot?" He asked, his hand gripping the phone tighter with every second._

_"No, not really. I mean, no more than any other couple would." She said nervously._

_"You have to let me in, Baby Girl." He begged. "I can't help you if you don't let me in."_

_"I don't need help. I'm fine." She said. "There's nothing going on that I can't handle alone."_

_Her words broke his heart, but he knew that there was nothing else he could do. He had tried his hardest, and now he had to do what was probably the stupidest thing possible: Believe her._

**Present Time**

After that phone called, he had become more worried than ever. How could he help her if she didn't want help? All he had were suspicions, anyway.

They were finally all on the plane ride home, still 2 and a half hours away, and he was getting more anxious by the second. He hoped she would be there waiting for them when they got back, but he doubted it. She rarely had been since she'd started dating Lynch.

Since everyone had been basically deprived of sleep the past few days, everyone was asleep except for him and JJ. She was sitting across from him, staring at the same page of a book she had been for the past 10 minutes, looking like her mind was far away from anything the book contained.

"Hey JJ." He said startling her from her thoughts. "Have you uh, noticed anything different about Garcia lately?" It was a good time as any, considering everyone else was asleep.

"She's seemed a little...off lately. Why?" She said, and he was relieved that he wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"How long has she been seeing Lynch?"

"Almost a year, I think." She said, which made sense. It matched up perfectly with their slowly declining friendship. "But again, why?"

"I'm worried." He said, and even though he almost felt that it invaded her privacy, he told JJ all the events that had happened in the past few days with Garcia, starting with the night he showed up at her apartment to the phone call they'd had two days before.

"I understand why you would think that." She said finally. "But this is Lynch we're talking about. He has the maturity of a 12 year old boy and he practically follows her around like a puppy. Do you really think he's capable of hurting her?"

"I didn't think so at first, but...I just, I'm not so sure now. I mean, what else could it be? Does she really expect me to believe that it's 'just stress'?" He said. "Her job has always been stressful, and she's always been fine."

"I really don't think this is anything, Derek, but I'll talk to her myself if it would make you feel any better." She said. She wouldn't admit it to him, but everything he'd told her made her pretty worried as well.

"Thanks. Maybe you can get more out of her than I did." He said.

He sat back in his seat, hoping maybe he could get some sleep. He felt a little better knowing that he'd told JJ everything, but he knew that nothing would be truly okay until he knew his Baby Girl was safe.

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**Ehh? Not my best, but I have THE WORST writers block in the world right now! Sorry for this chapter taking so long and being way too short, but I guess it got the point across. This was mainly just a filler chapter- promise the next one will have more drama and all that in it. Reviews would be amazing :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**So I know it's been pretty much FOREVER, and that you're all probably thinking I'm dead right now, but I've just been REALLY busy. School is crazy and I'm almost always gone on weekends, and nights are pretty much filled with TV and homework. I really don't want to let this story die though, and it's the only thing I even have the slightest bit of motivation to continue right now, so I'm going to do my best. Updates just might be slower. Sorry.**

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The first thing Derek noticed when he walked back into the bullpen was the light coming from Garcia's office. He immediately walked over to it, hoping that she would talk to him.

He knocked on the door. Nothing. "It's Morgan!" He called, and he could hear her moving. "I know you're in there. I can hear you moving!" Still nothing.

"Listen, I know you don't want to talk to me right now, but I need to know that you're okay." He tried. "Please open the door."

He sighed with relief when he heard the lock click. "I'm fine." She said flatly, holding the door open, not looking at all happy to see him.

"I'm sorry." He said. "For everything. I just want to be here for you, and I can't if you keep shutting me out like this."

He could see all her anger melt away, but her eyes looked sad. "And I thank you for that. I know you're here for me. I know you care. But I promise you, I am perfectly fine, so whatever you're thinking is going on…just stop. I'm okay. Me and Kevin…we're okay. Not, not okay. We're great." She gave a fake, almost sad smile, and it only made him feel worse.

"Really." He said, but she could tell it was more of a statement than a question. "Then what is that?" He pointed at her lip. She had on the brightest red lipstick he had ever seen, but it didn't cover up the cut on her bottom lip that was still slightly swollen.

"What's what?" She asked, unable to hide the panic in her voice. Her hand instinctively moved to cover up her lip.

He reached up grabbing her hand gently and moving it to the side before softly touching the cut. "This." He said, looking directly into her eyes.

"Nothing." She said softly. "It was just an accident, I promise." Her voice was shaking.

"Why do you keep lying to me?" Derek asked frustrated. "You _know _you can trust me."

She didn't get a chance to answer because they both heard Kevin's voice echoing down the hallway. "Penelope!" He was calling loudly.

"Yeah?" Her voice was shaking and full of fear. She instantly backed a few feet away from Derek.

"Hey." He said once he had walked over to them. "Are you ready to go?" When his eyes met Derek's, they both noticed the way his eyes turned from calm to angry.

"I…almost. I just have to shut my computers down." Her voice was filled with so much fear, all Derek wanted to do was hold her, and tell her everything was okay.

"I thought that's what you were doing when I called you." He said coldly, threateningly.

"I…I was but then-,"

"It was my fault." Derek stepped in quickly. All he wanted to do in that moment was punch Kevin Lynch in the face-repeatedly-but he knew that helping his baby girl out was more important.

"Stay out of it Morgan." Kevin snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

Morgan was shocked. Since when did Kevin Lynch, the geek, even have the balls to talk to anyone like that, let alone him?

"If it concerns my best friend, it concerns me." He said, not taking his eyes off of Penelope, who was standing beside Kevin looking terrified.

"Derek just leave it alone." She said quietly, her voice shaking. "Just go home, I'm fine."

Derek had no idea what to do. He knew the right thing to do was to make her leave with him at that very second, and have Kevin arrested, but what proof did he really have?

Sure he had suspicions, and plenty of reasons to BE suspicious, but if she wouldn't admit that he hit her, what could he really do?

"Are you sure?" He asked stupidly, giving her one last chance.

"Yes. Leave." Her voice was flat, and all the emotion was gone, making him even more confused.

"Fine. If that's what you really want." He looked her dead in the eye one more time, begging her to change her mind.

She didn't. "Call me." He said. "If you need _anything_."

He walked out, glancing back at her every few steps. He stopped when he saw the pleading in her eyes.

"Go." She said when she realized he'd stopped. "Please." Her voice cracked.

So her turned around and walked out, without another word, without looking back, and left her there to face it all alone.

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That night was the worst night they'd ever had. She knew it was going to be bad the second she saw him coming down the hallway to see her with Derek, but she never could have imagined.

He didn't give her a chance to explain, a chance to speak. Her drove her home in silence, and she was too afraid to even say anything. He followed her up to apartment, slamming the door behind them, and started yelling the second he was in.

He was totally out of control, screaming things that didn't even make sense. She lost track of how many times he slapped, punched, and kicked her and it seemed like it never ended.

And when he left, he didn't apologize, didn't even say anything. He just walked out, slamming the door behind him, leaving her there alone, laying on the floor unable to move.

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Derek had never felt so stupid in his entire life. How could he have left her there? How could he have let her go with that monster? He felt like a coward.

Which was why, after driving around for half an hour, somehow found himself pulling up outside Penelope Garcia's apartment.

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**Sorry again for the lack of updates :( And now I'll probably only be able to update on fridays, and I'm sure it won't even be EVERY friday. The whole friday situation is completely out of my control- my lack of updates have just been out of writers block. I'll try to be faster though :) Reviews would be great! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**I know I said it would be a week, but well…the chance came and I'm taking full advantage of it and updating early! :) Thank you so much for all the supportive reviews. I have NEVER had a story do this well :).**

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When Derek pulled up in front of Penelope's apartment building, the first thing he saw was Kevin.

He had just walked out the door and was on the way to his car. As tempted as he was to get out of the car and take Kevin down, he was too worried about Garcia to take that chance.

He practically ran to the front door, and up the stairs because he didn't have enough patience to bother with the elevator.

He knocked on her door, leaning in close to see if he could hear any sign of life coming from inside.

When Penelope heard the knock, she assumed it was just Kevin coming back, so she knew she had to answer it. She forced herself to get up, slowly and painfully, and opened the door.

Her mouth dropped when she saw that it was Morgan. He was the last person she was expecting. She hadn't seen a mirror yet, so she had no idea what kind of state she was in, but from the look on Derek's face she knew she must look terrible.

His eyes went from shock, to anger, to sadness, to guilt within two seconds. He stepped in, shutting the door behind him before wrapping her in his arms. "Why didn't you just tell me?" He whispered into her hair..

"I was scared." She whispered back. She felt his tears falling into her hair, and she could tell that he blamed himself.

"There's nothing you could have done." She said quietly, pulling away from him and looking into his eyes.

"There are a lot of things I could have done." He said. "But now is not the time to talk about this. I have to get you out of here."

"What? Why?" She asked.

"He could come back. You know that." He said. "And when he does, I want to be there- I'm _going _to be there- to protect you.

"But where are we going? Why can't you just protect me here?" She asked.

"We're going to my place because he doesn't know where I live. It's not going to take him long to find out, but at least if he decides to come back tonight, you won't be here." He said. "Come on. Let's go pack you a bag."

"You don't have to treat me like a child, Morgan. I can still do things on my own." She said defensively.

"I know that babygirl." He said gently, although he was a little taken aback. "But I care about you, and I want to do whatever I can to help you."

She sighed. "I know...sorry. This is all just a lot to handle at one time."

"It's okay...I understand." He said.

Even though he didn't want to leave her side for a second, he waited at the door while she packed a bag. He could tell she was broken, damaged, that she probably wouldn't be completely herself again for a while. But at least he got her out, at least he saved her, before it was too late.

When she was ready he walked her out, keeping his arm around her. She was walking slow and he could tell she was in a lot of pain. They rode the elevator down because he knew she wouldn't be able to handle taking the stairs in the state she was in, and he helped her into his car.

Penelope layed her head back against the seat the second she got in the car. It felt so good to finally be free. It was the first time she'd felt safe in months and there was no where she would have rather been than sitting beside Derek.

When they arrived at his apartment, he carried her bag and helped her inside. The relief he felt to finally have her there with him, safe, was unexplainable. He couldn't believe he had let it go on for so long. He couldn't believe how long it took for him to even _notice _it was going on. From what he'd seen, it looked like the abuse had been going on for months...and he had no idea. He hadn't payed enough attention to the woman who was supposed to be his _best _friend, to even realize that she was being abused. How could he have been so blind?

She sat down on his couch as soon as they got inside, and when he came back from putting her bag down in his room he saw that she was looking down, staring at her hands in her lap, almost looking ashamed.

He sat down next her, gently taking both of her hands into his. "I know you don't want to talk about this now." He said quietly. "But you know that eventually, we will have to do."

"Okay." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she still wouldn't look at him.

"I know you're tired, so you can go to bed if you want. I already put your stuff in my room so you can take my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, it's okay, really. I don't mind sleeping on the couch. This is your house, I..." The look on his face told her there was no use in arguing.

"Do you want to, uh, lay with you or uh..." He said awkwardly.

"It's up to you." She said, walking back to his room. She turned around when she reached the doorway, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't really want to sleep alone. He followed her, and as he walked her climb into bed he felt like his heart was being ripped apart. She was in so much pain. When he got his hands on Kevin Lynch...No. He wasn't going to think about that.

He layed down beside her, only waiting a few seconds before he reached over a wrapped his arms around her. For the first time since he'd seen her that night she really smiled, and he kissed the top of her forehead gently, happy to finally have his babygirl safe in his arms.

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**Well, I'm not usually one to make the rescue so early in the story, but in this one it just felt right. But don't worry, there will be more drama at some point...especially when Derek finds Kevin. I know everyone is looking forward to THAT. Well, I hope this update made someone's night...or day :) Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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**Thanks for all the support in this story :) I know it's not perfect, but I'm doing my best to get the characters to be IN character and all that. I'll try to update as often as possible but I'm still not quite sure how often that will be.**

Morgan layed away that night, watching her sleep. He was exhausted, but he was afraid that if he let himself close his eyes, she would be gone when he woke up.

He couldn't believe he had been so blind to what was going on with his best friend. He had been so caught up in his own life and his own problems that he hadn't even noticed the most likely obvious signs of abuse. He got her out safely, but if he had just _payed attention_, she would have been safe a lot sooner.

This was all his fault.

He had been laying there for hours when he felt her stir for the first time. Her breathing started to get heavier and he heard her say something quietly. The next second she was tossing and turning, yelling things that he couldn't even understand. He could tell she was having a nightmare.

"Wake up, baby girl." He said, shaking her shoulder gently.

She woke up panting, her eyes panicked and confused. "It's just me." He said, wrapping his arms around her again. "It's Morgan."

"Oh." She said softly. "Sorry...I was just having a bad dream...it seemed so real..."

"You have nothing to apologize for, baby girl. I'm here for you no matter what." He said gently. "What was it about?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She said, not looking him in the eye.

"Kevin?" He asked, finding it hard not to spit the name out.

"Yeah." She said quietly.

"Okay, well just try and go back to sleep. I'll be right here." He said.

"Okay." She said, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for this...for all this..you saved me. It was getting so bad...I don't know how long it would have been before..." Her voice trailed off.

"No. Don't talk like that." He said, although he had thought the same thing. "All that matters is that you're safe now. 'I just wish you would have told me sooner."

"I was just scared...and I didn't want to bother you with my problems while you were dealing with so much...you know, having to lead the team and all." She said.

"I would have dropped everything to protect you. You know that." He said, wiping away the tears that had started falling down her cheeks. "Now you need to try to sleep, okay? We can talk all you want tomorrow."

"Okay." She said, and was back to sleep seconds after she closed her eyes.

After staying awake watching her, making sure she was okay for about 30 minutes, Morgan finally managed to fall asleep.

* * *

When Garcia woke up the next morning, she was confused. Why was in this unfamiliar room? In this unfamiliar _bed_? When she saw that Morgan's arms were around her, the night before came back to her in a rush of emotions.

"Good morning, babygirl." Morgan said when he saw that she was awake.

"Morning." She said groggily. "What time is it? Are we late?"

"Late?" He said. "You really thought you were going into work today after what happened?"

"Well...yeah." She said.

"First of all, judging from the way it still looks like it hurts you just to breathe, I think we should go to the hospital and get your injuries checked out."

"But-"

"No 'buts'. I already called in and said that neither of us would be coming in today." He said. "I'm going to make you breakfast, then you're going to get ready and we're going to go to the hospital."

"Make me breakfast?" She said. "As in, cooking? Since when do you cook?"

"Baby girl, I have skills you don't even know about." He said with a smile.

She laughed. It was great to hear her really laugh. It seemed like it had been forever.

"Come on." He said. He walked around to her side of the bed and helped her up, walking her into the kitchen.

He watched her as he walked around the kitchen, getting things ready, and couldn't help but smile. Sitting at his kitchen table in pajamas with messy hair, looking at all the paper and junk he had left piled up on his table, he didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful.

She looked up, catching his eye. "What?' She asked, smiling.

"Nothing." He said. "I just forgot how much I loved you."

He saw the shock on her face, but then she just smiled at him and awkwardly broke eye contact. He turned around and continued making breakfast, planning on making his love for her very clear over the next few days.

* * *

"Where's Morgan?" Seemed to be the question on everyone's mind that morning as they were busy in the bullpen. The only one who knew the real reason why was JJ, because Derek had called her that morning and briefly filled her in on what had happened.

She had told everyone else that Morgan was sick and that he wouldn't be there that day, and left it at that.

Everything seemed to be going well until Kevin walked into the bullpen. JJ had seen him knock on Garcia's office door but figured he would just go away when he saw that she wasn't there. No such luck.

He walked over to her, looking flustered and worried. "Did Penelope come in today?" He asked.

"No." She said simply, not giving him any explaination.

Unfortunately, Reid was standing near by and heard the questioin. "Maybe she has what Morgan has." He said loudly, and JJ wished she could have strangled him.

When he heard Morgan's name, she saw anger flash across Kevin's face. Without another word, he walked out of the bullpen towards the exit, looking determined.

She immediately picked up the phone, dialing Morgan. She could tell from the look in Kevin's eyes that there was about to be a confrontation.

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**Yes, I ended it there :) The soonest I'll possibly be able to update will Thursday night, but it could be later. I know this chapter wasn't the best but I wanted to get one out while I had a chance. Keep the reviews coming :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Sorry for not updating sooner, I've been having writers block and I haven't had much of a chance to update, anyway. This chapter will probably be pretty short because I know how I want it to end and the rest of it will just be a filler, mainly. **

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Kevin Lynch walked out of the BAU office, running into several people as he went, knocking over stacks of papers and spilling a few drinks.

But he didn't stop. He was on a mission. He had to find her. He had to get her back, away from Derek Morgan, the only person who had ever been a threat to their relationship.

What could have happened? She had to have gone to his house the night before. When he'd left her there, she could barely move. He doubted she would have had the strength to drive to his apartment.

When he'd passed by her place that morning, to pick her up for work, her car was already gone. He just assumed she'd left for work early-without even calling- which was why he was in such a hurry to get to her in the first place.

But now that he knew she wasn't home or at work, there was only one place she could possibly be. Derek Morgan's.

Which was where he was now headed, his gun sitting in his lap as he drove, ready to get her back at all costs.

* * *

They were about to walk out the door when Derek's phone rang.

"Morgan." He answered.

"Morgan, we have a big problem." JJ's frantic voice had him worried immediately.

"What is it?" He asked, although he was pretty sure it had something to do with Kevin Lynch.

"Uh, he came in here freaking out about-"

"Wait, he came _in _to the bullpen?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah. Anyway, he was freaking out, looking for Garcia. I didn't tell him anything, but then Reid said something about you not being here either so-" JJ sighed, and he could hear her trying to get Reid to stop talking in her ear.

He could hear Reid in the background, asking question after question. "What did I do wrong? What'swrong with Lynch? Where's Morgan?"

"Reid, not now. I'll explain everything in a minute, but this is important." Morgan knew Reid was confused. For once, he didn't know everything about everything.

"Sorry." JJ said, coming back on the phone. "After Reid said that about you, Kevin got this mad look- honestly, he looked psychotic- and just walked out. So now I'm just assuming he's on his way there."

"Wait, are you sure he's coming here?" Morgan asked.

"He looked really mad when he walked out so I'm pretty sure he is." She said.

"Thanks for the warning, JJ." He said.

"Morgan." She said, stopping him right before he hung up. "Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't." He said, hanging up.

He looked over at Garcia, who looked completely terrified.

"He's coming here?" She said quietly, more a statement than a question.

"JJ thinks he is." Derek said, telling her all of what JJ told him.

"We have to leave." She said frantically. "We were going to leave anyway, let's just go."

"I think it can wait five extra minutes while I have a little talk with Kevin." Derek said, spitting out his name.

"Derek, please." She said. "I don't want to see him."

"You don't have to. You're going to stay in here with the door locked while I deal with Kevin, then we're going to go to the hospital and get you checked out." He said.

"But-" She started.

"No." He put his finger to her lips. "Once this is over, you won't have anything to worry about anymore, okay? Kevin will be in jail and you'll be safe."

She looked like she was going to protest more, but decided to just give it up. "Okay." She said with a sigh. "But try not to kill him when you go out there."

"I'm not making any promises, but I'll try." He said, and she couldn't tell if he was joking or serious.

She didn't have any more time to consider it, however, because there was a sudden loud knock on the door. "Penelope!" Kevin yelled. "Are you in there?" Derek heard her take in a quick breath. He turned to look at her, her face completely pale and her eyes wide, terrified. JJ was right- from the sound of it, Kevin had experienced a psychotic break.

That meant there was no talking it out, no rationalizing, not with his mental state the way it was.

When he opened the door, Derek expected some yelling, maybe some punches thrown. What he hadn't expected to find, however was the gun.

And even then there was no time to react, he wasn't prepared.

He was yelling at Garcia to move. Garcia was screaming. Kevin was still yelling for Garcia.

And in the middle of all the chaos, a shot was fired.

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**I apologize again for the shortness, and for the sudden, unexpected ending(okay, not really, I actually enjoy torturing people that way). I'll try to update soon but I can't make any promises. Review, please! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Sorry for not updating sooner- and I'm trying to write this entire chapter in one sitting, so I still might not get it done. Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites and, ALERTS(I have 48 which is completely UNREAL!)**

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Somehow they lost Kevin in all the chaos. As soon as the shot was fired he dropped the gun and ran.

Penelope was screaming, bent over Derek who was on the floor bleeding out from bullet hole in his abdomen. She listened for sirens; police cars, ambulances, anything. She was too hysterical and panicked to call herself. She was just assuming a neighbor would have had enough common sense to called 911.

She wanted to stop the bleeding. She looked around Derek's apartment for something, anything, that might at least get it to slow down a little. The blood was coming out thick and fast.

His apartment was a mess as always; she'd learned over time that he rarely bothered or really had time to clean it. There was t-shirt on the floor and she picked it up, covering the bullet hole with it. No use. Within seconds, it was also covered in blood.

She didn't know how long she sat there on the floor, helpless beside Derek's bleeding body before she heard the sound of sirens in the distance. Then Derek's phone rang. She answered it when she saw on the called ID that it was JJ.

She was breathing hard, crying hysterically when she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Garcia? What's wrong? Why are you answering Morgan's phone?" JJ asked, instantly recognizing the panic in her voice.

"Kevin...he came here.... gun and....Morgan." JJ could only make out a few of Penelope's hysteric words.

"Wait, Morgan was shot?" She asked.

"Yeah. There's an ambulance here now. I don't...I don't know if he's okay. There's just so much blood."

"Just stay calm. Go with Morgan to the hospital and the rest of us will meet you there." JJ was trying her hardest to sound calm for Garcia, but inside was panicking just as much. What if Morgan wasn't okay?

"Wait. Where's Kevin?" She asked.

Penelope looked around the apartment, noticing for the first time that he wasn't there anymore. "He...he left." She said. She heard voices and heavy foot steps in the hall. The EMT's were there.

"Okay. I'll put an alert out on him but don't worry about him now. Just go with Derek and make sure he's okay." JJ said.

"Okay." Penelope's voice was quiet now. JJ could tell she was in shock.

"I'll see you at the hospital." JJ said. The line clicked.

"What's going on?" Reid asked. Rossi, Prentiss, and Hotch were also gathered around, all curious about the parts of the conversation that they heard.

"I'll explain on the way but right now we need to get to the hospital." JJ grabbed her coat and her keys and walked quickly to the door, the rest of them following, clueless but worried.

In the car on the way there she explained everything; from Derek's questions about Garcia on the plane until the phone call she'd just had. She then called all the local TV networks to tell them to put out a picture of Lynch and a description of his vehicle, just in case someone saw him or his car.

None of them knew what to say after the whole story had been told. None of them understood how they had been blind enough to not see what was going on with Garcia, a part of their team, a part of their family. They were supposed to be profilers, but when it came to the people closest to them they were completely oblivious.

The drive to the hospital seemed to last forever, and when they finally arrived they all sprung for the entrance. They found Garcia sitting in the waiting room, still hysterical. She immediately got up and came to them when they walked in.

JJ hugged her, but no one else knew what to say in regards to her part of the situation. "Any word on Morgan?" Hotch asked.

"He's in surgery. But they said he lost a lot of blood." She collapsed back into a chair. "What if he's not okay?"

JJ sat down beside her, put a hand of her arm trying to comfort her. "He'll get through this. Derek's strong. He's a fighter."

And they all tried really hard to believe it.

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**And....yes. Another terrible, torturous, cliffy. :) Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon; possibly tomorrow night but I don't know for sure. Sorry for ANOTHER short chapter. Keep the review's coming, they're all really motivating and they might help me update faster :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Hopefully this whole chapter will be able to be put up, but as of right now I am typing this IN SCHOOL, so it's possible that it won't. And I'm sorry for never updating, but some things have happened and I don't know how long it will be before I will be able to update regularly. Sorry, but this situation is really not in my control. Thanks time a million for all of the reviews; I really appreciate how much everyone seems to like this story :)**

It seemed as if they sat in the waiting room forever. Hours passed with no word about Derek, but it felt like days.

After a while, the finally convinced Penelope to some medical attention for herself, although she was still in shock and seemed unaware of her surroundings.

Most of her injuries weren't very serious, mostly cuts and bruises, but they had to put a cast on her wrist because it was sprained and she had a few broken ribs, including some that had been broken before that night and had started to heal wrong because they hadn't been looked at.

Derek had been in surgery for at least 5 hours when a young doctor finally walked out into the waiting room. "Who's here for Derek Morgan?"

They all stood up. Penelope was shaking; she had no idea what was going to happen to him, but she knew that if she lost him, if he wasn't okay….she didn't think she would be able to live.

The doctor's expression was hard to read, so they were unable to tell whether they'd be getting goods news or bad.

"He's out of surgery." She said. "The bullet didn't go through any major organs, so there was no internal damage. However, he was losing a lot of blood and we lost him once during surgery but we were able to get him stable again."

"So he's fine?" Penelope asked, relieved.

"He's fine." The doctor said, smiling. "But he's still unconscious and recovering so it would be best to wait a little while before you try to see him."

She walked away, leaving them alone once again. They were relieved, there was no denying that, but they knew they weren't out of deep water yet; Kevin was still yet to be found.

They relaxed once they found out Morgan was okay. "I think I'm going to go get coffee." JJ said. "Does anyone else want some?"

"Let me get it." Penelope said.

"You really don't need to be up walking around any more than you have to right now." Reid said. "If you do, your injuries will-,"

"I need to do this." She said. "I don't like feelings like I can't do anything but sit around and wait…I need to do something- anything, but this."

No one said anything. They all knew her, and how she was. She always wanted to do be able to help people, and she hated feeling like there was nothing she could do. They also knew from when she had been shot, that he hated being treated like a victim.

She walked out of the waiting area and wandered the halls for a while. She didn't know where the coffee was, but she was going to wait a while before she found asked anyone. She needed some time alone, and walking down the almost empty hospital hallways was relaxing after being in the crowded waiting room. She hated to be around all the scared family members and friends of all the patients who were in surgery, fighting for their lives. She hated the feeling of desperation and hopelessness that hospital waiting rooms always had.

But she knew things were going to be okay; Derek was fine. She didn't have to lose her best friend, who also happened to be the love of her life…if only he knew that.

She'd finally had enough walking around, and it was getting a little painful, so she found a nurse and asked where to find the coffee.

She had poured a cup for JJ and was pouring one for herself, when she felt something pretty again her side.

She turned around, terrified when she saw Kevin standing behind her. How had he gotten past security?

"Don't say a word." He told her, his voice cold. He pressed the gun harder into her side. "Walk." He said. She walked, shaking, scared out of mind. She wanted to scream, to run and go find Derek and the team. But she couldn't. She had no doubt anymore that Kevin would use the gun on her.

So as she walked out of the hospital through a back entrance and into a waiting car, her only though was Derek, and how much she needed him. And how she knew if Kevin, got his way, she would never see him again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**I'm so sorry to have kept you all, my faithful readers, waiting for SO long! I wish it could have been sooner, and if I hadn't had such terrible, REPULSIVE writers block I guess it would have. But I haven't been able to get a single sentence out in like, two months. Sorry loves :)**

**Also, this is a new thing I've started, because I just thought it would be fun. This is the music that inspired this chapter(or at least the part where Garcia was with Kevin, the beginning was written so long ago I have no idea where it came from): Michelle Branch, Bethany Joy Galeotti, Carrie Underwood, Hairspray soundtrack, Train, Matt Nathanson, Hey Monday, and Sons of Sylvia :)**

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It took them a while to realize that something was wrong. At first, they tried to think of rational reasons she could be gone: She got lost, there was a long line for coffee, she went to the bathroom, she went to the cafeteria to eat and didn't bother to tell them…but they knew they were pushing it.

After almost half an hour had passed, they knew something bad had happened. They spread out, searching every inch of the hospital before finding one of the hospital personnel and telling them to shut the place down- no one could go in or out.

They put out another alert for Kevin's car- an emergency this time, but it was too late. They found it abandoned on the side of the road, and figured he'd ditched it as soon as he left Morgan's apartment. Nerdy and psychopathic or not, they knew that Kevin was smart enough to know what do to make himself hard to trace.

Morgan hadn't woken up yet, which they were thankful for because they knew he would get too worked up and end up hurting himself trying to help her.

So far they had no leads and no idea what the hell they were supposed to do.

* * *

Penelope's first thought when she regained consciousness was Morgan. It took her a few seconds to remember the predicament that she, herself was in.

She look around. Big, dank, shadowy, dingy room. No windows. Barely any light. A warehouse, or some other type of storage facility. How…typical. She almost laughed. Kevin, the supposed computer genius, couldn't come up with anything more creative than a warehouse?

She was lying on a small bed with a thin, hard, mattress. Kevin was, at least at the moment, no where in sight. She attempting to sit up and was immediately greeted with a blinding headache.

"Penny! You're up!" The optimism and sugary-sweetness of his voice made her feel sick. How had she ever allowed herself to be with someone that psychotic?

She didn't respond and he walked out of one of the shadowy, dark corners. "Did you really think leaving me would be that easy?" He walked closer, and although he was smiling, she could tell his intentions were anything but good. "I mean, do you really think I'm an idiot, Penelope?"

"Yes." She said honestly, even though she knew the last thing she should be doing at the point was challenging him.

"That was not a smart thing to say, Penelope." He said, and that was when she noticed he was still holding a gun in his right hand.

"What do you want from me, Kevin?" She'd been attempting to sound nonchalant and fearless, but she found herself cringing at the obvious shake of fear in her voice.

"What I've always wanted." He said. "You. All to myself, with no Derek Morgan or precious job keeping you from me." He had gotten dangerously close to her, and she resisted the urge to shy away, but she knew showing fear would only egg him on. It always did.

"I don't want to be with you anymore, Kevin. I thought I made that perfectly clear." Her voice was stronger. She knew it was stupid to be so defiant when he could kill her at any second, but her faith in her team at the BAU made her believe that they'd be busting down the door to save her any second.

"That's not your decision to make!" He yelled. He grabbed her up from the bed by her arm, sending an instant rush of pain through her body. "Anyway, it's not like you even have a choice now. You're all mine. No one, not your precious team, not Derek Morgan, is ever going to fine you."

* * *

Derek Morgan was going to rip out all his stitches. There was no doubt. He'd been panicked, angry, and desperate ever since he'd woken up and found out Penelope had been taken by Kevin.

They'd attempted to hide it from him, but the only way he'd believe that she was okay was if she could see him. Being the profiler that he was, he'd known from the instant they walked in the room that something wasn't right.

His baby girl being kidnapped and held hostage by a psycho, however, was not exactly the first thing that came to his mind, so he couldn't hold in his anger when he found out was going on. The doctors were considering doping him up on pain killers just to get him to calm down so he didn't rip a stitch.

He blamed himself. He knew inside that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it, but he just wished there was something he could do.

It had been three hours, and they weren't any closer to finding her than they'd been when they first found out she was missing.

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**I know this chapter is short and possibly sucky, but my writers block is like a disease. I hate it. :( Sorry for millionth time for taking so long to update all the time! Reviews are inspiration!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Sorry for the lack of updates! I've had the most insane writers block, and it sucks. But I'm trying to get back into the "mood." Also, I wanted to point out that it's so weird that the new episode this week is called Safe Haven. :P Unfortunately, I don't think it will have the M/G moments that this story has :) No music inspired this one, I wrote the majority of it sitting in class :P **

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Garcia had been missing for five hours now. Derek had awakened from the sedatives they'd ended up having to give him, and although he was still a little foggy, he was more than aware of the fact that his baby girl was still missing. It was all he was concerned about.

He felt incredibly helpless, laying in a hospital bed. He'd finally felt like he was going to have his baby girl with him, where she'd always belonged. But Kevin Lynch, that damn Kevin Lynch, had to take that away from him. Again.

He had been dying to tell her how he felt since way before she'd gotten together with Lunch, and the only thing stopping him from rushing in and stopping that relationship was that she seemed happy. He knew that if he ruined their relationship, she'd never give him a chance. If only he would have payed more attention… they wouldn't be in this situation now.

JJ walked in and he immediately snapped back to the present, his heart pounding with hope that she'd have some news.

"We don't know anything else yet, Derek. They're trying to get in his computer to see if it gives any clues to where he could be, but the only person who could understand such a complex system is…

"Garcia." Morgan finished for her, closing his eyes and sighing. If only he wouldn't have opened that door…

"Derek," JJ, always the mind reader, said softly, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "It's not your fault."

* * *

She thought weeks has passed by the time Kevin left her alone again. He was so delusional, he kept talking about all the plans he had for them, running away together…She went along with it out of fear. He still had the gun in his pocket and every time his hand went near it, she tensed up, terrified that he saw through her façade and realized she was faking it.

He finally left, saying he had to go out and get some things. She was afraid of what "things" he would return with, but seeing him walk out was a relief. She almost called out to him when she saw something fall to the floor, but she quickly realized that whatever it was might be helpful to her, so she kept her mouth shut. She was hoping it was fun. She could shoot through the locked door and escape, or if that didn't work, wait until he came back and use it against him.

She waited until she heart him lock the padlock from outside the door before she got up. Pain shot through her ribs, making it insanely hard for her to do something as simple as putting one foot in front of the other. She felt like she was moving at a snails pace across the large room. She'd be lucky to make it before he got back. Or at least, that was what the irrational fear that clouded her brain was saying.

When she finally reached it, she realized that this was possibly the best thing that could have happened to her.

It wasn't his gun, however, that she picked up off the floor. It was his phone.

* * *

Morgan was trying to get some rest. He had been told by everyone that came to check on him that there was nothing he could do, just relax, they'd find her soon. It wasn't working out too well for him. If it was anything else, anyone else… he might be able to accept sitting back and waiting. But not when it came to Garcia.

He heard the commotion just before JJ burst through his door. "Kevin's phone just got turned on."

Any of the sedatives that had been left in his system were now long gone. This was the first sign of progress since Penelope had been missing, and they was finally a ray of hope in his heart. Hope, that his baby girl might just be okay.

Then he heard his phone ring. He had made sure someone got it from his apartment, just in case, and it had been sitting on the bedside table, the screen black, taunting him.

An unfamiliar number showed up on the screen, and JJ snatched it from him before he could answer. "That's Lynch's number."

"Give me the phone." Derek said immediately, but JJ refused.

"Kevin could be calling to negotiate, and I know you won't be able to stay calm, and you'll probably just scare him off, and we'll have no chance of finding Garcia." Derek opened his mouth to say something, but realized that JJ was right and sat back.

"Kev- Penelope?" Derek's eyes snapped to JJ, whose face had started to light up. "Yeah, he's sitting right here. He's fine. Are you-" She waited, her face changing from disgust to shock to relief.

"I think someone wants to talk to you." She said, with tears in her eyes.

"Baby girl?" Morgan said, tears welling up in his own eyes. "Are you… okay?"

"I'm the one who should be asking you that, hot stuff. You are the one that got shot, remember?" She laughed, but he could hear the pain behind it.

"We have a location on the phone!" He heard JJ shouting from the next room.

"Hear that baby girl? They know where you are, you're safe now." He said, hardly believing it himself.

She gasped, but it didn't sound like a good one. He heard noises in the background, and she muttered a quick, "I have to go." Then the phone went dead.

They knew she was alive, and they knew where she was. He just hoped they weren't too late.

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**Cliffhanger, my love, as always! :D Also, sorry for the shortness of the chapter. This time I'll try to make the time between updates MUCH shorter…definitely won't be two and half months. :) Reviews are inspiration!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**I know I just updated yesterday, but I guess I'm just on a roll. Thanks for all the reviews :). Once again, no music inspired this one, because I was sitting in Spanish class when I wrote it :P Apparently, "listening" to people do presentations of projects is what inspires me. Haha.**

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Penelope heard the key turning in the door and knew she was done for. The only thing she wanted was to stay on the phone and listen to Morgan's voice forever, but if Kevin caught her, well, she might as well just consider herself dead.

She slung the phone over to the other side of the room when she heard the door start to open. She knew he'd be mad enough when he saw that she was trying to leave- or at least, that it looked like she was trying to leave. No way was she going to incriminate herself any more by having his phone.

"Penny?" He said threateningly. "What are you doing?"

"I… I was looking for the bathroom," She lied, unable to keep her voice from shaking with fear. Even to her, the excuse sounded fake. She knew he wouldn't believe it.

He walked over and stood in front of her. "Liar." He slapped her left cheek, hard. "Have you seen my phone?" He asked, the look in his eyes daring her to lie again.

"N-no." She whispered. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

"I'm going to ask you again." He said, getting right in her face. She could feel his hot breath and she wished she could back away. "Have. you. seen. my. phone?"

"No!" She cried out. "I haven't. I swear!"

He let go of her and backed away, scanning the room. His eyes didn't connect with the phone on the other end of the room, thankfully. "Damn it!" He yelled, turning around and punching the wall. Penelope was grateful that, for once, she was not the one feeling his anger.

"I'm leaving, Penelope. And if you're not sitting on that bed when I get back," He put hs and over his gun. "You're going to get it."

He walked out of the room once again, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She walked over to where she'd thrown the phone, hoping it hadn't hit the floor hard enough to break.

The back had come off and the battery came out, but it was simple to put it back together. Thankfully, it turned back on, but there was only one bar of battery left. She knew she had to be careful with how she used it. She was longing to hear Morgan's voice again, longing to hear him say that she was finally going to be safe.

* * *

As relieved as Derek was to know that Penelope was alive, the cryptic way she'd hung up the phone had him a little nervous.

Penelope was smart though, she would know what to do. She would know how to fool Kevin. At least, that was what he was telling himself. He really hoped Kevin was not too psychotic to even listen to her, but considering what he had already done, it was a possibility.

JJ burst in again. "They're on the way, Morgan. She's in a warehouse on the outskirts of town." He breathed a long sigh of relief. JJ sat down beside his bed. "I know you wish you could be there, but she understands why you can't be, Morgan. You'll have her back soon."

"Thanks, JJ." He said as his phone started ringing again.

He snatched it up before JJ could stop him. "Penelope?" He said, heart pounding.

"Morgan." He heard her say. Her voice was weaker than before, but she was alive and okay enough to still use the phone, and that was what mattered. "Kevin came back, but he's gone again. I don't know how long he'll be gone. Please hurry." She sounded panicked, and pleading and it broke his heart. "He doesn't know I have his phone. He came back looking for it but I said I hadn't seen it."

"They're on the way, baby girl." He said. "You're okay. You're going to be okay. Just stay on the phone, okay? I'm here."

"I'll try," She said weakly. "But his phone is almost dead. I don't know how much longer it'll last."

He tried to fight back his tears, but he could stand to hear her sound so weak, so desperate, so helpless… "Just hold on for me, baby girl, okay? I love you, just remember that."

He heard her sniff and knew she was trying to hold her tears back too. "That's what's keeping me going, hot stuff. I love you too."

* * *

She was terrified and in pain, but Derek's words made her feel like everything was going to be truly okay.

Kevin's phone beeped and she thought it was dying until she looked at the screen. Someone else was calling him. It was an unfamiliar number, but the area code was local. Maybe it was someone who was looking for Kevin? "Hold on a minute, Derek, someone's calling."

It connected with Morgan too late for him to stop her. "No, Penelope! Wait!" But she was gone.

"Hello?" She answered, and at first all she heard was breathing. "Hello?"

"Penny." Her heart stopped and her stomach moved to her throat. Kevin. "Guess you're not as smart as you thought." He said.

The phone fell from her hands, hitting the floor with a bang. It was all over now.

* * *

**You called the LAST chapter a cliffhanger?(Totally started typing, hangover :P) WRONG. Hah. Reviews are inspiration! I most likely won't update THIS fast next time, but maybe Friday or Saturday night :) Also sorry, again, for the shortness :)  
**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Sorry, this took a little-okay, maybe a lot longer than I thought it would. I guess after I got those two chapters out in two days, my inspiration burned out and died. :( P.S- The episode Safe Haven SO did not live up to it's name, but that's just my opinion, haha.**

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Morgan redialed the number after Penelope hung up. All he got was a steady beep-beep-beep - the line was busy.

He waited a few minutes, staring at the phone as if begging it to ring. It didn't, and as his impatience grew, he dialed again. This time it rang. After a few seconds, Penelope's tearful voice came on the phone. "Morgan?" She sounded worse than before, her voice filled with hear and barely a whisper.

"Baby girl, are you okay?" No answer. "Hey, hey, what's going on? Talk to me."

He could hear her trying to talk, but it was as if she'd forgotten how to form words. She finally spoke, her voice coming out in short gasps. "Ke- Kevin, he-" She was breathing hard and fast, and it terrified him. "Help, please, just hurry!" He heard noises in the background.

"Garcia?" Kevin was yelling somewhere in the background. Penelope screamed, and the phone crashed to the ground, then went silent. But all Derek could do was pray, and hope with all heart that help was almost there.

Penelope Garcia could honestly say that she had never been that afraid in her whole life. Not when she got shot, not when the man who shot her was on the loose trying to kill her, not when a man died in her arms, not when she thought Morgan was dead- although that was a close second- nothing compared to this fear.

She had no doubt that, this time, Kevin was going to kill her. She didn't know how far he was, but considering that it took him less than five minutes to find a phone and call her, she imagined it could be very far.

When the phone rang again, she assumed it was him. Seeing Morgan's number flash across the phone brought her relief. He was the only one who could make her feel the least bit safe.

Where was the team? Were they even anywhere close to her? She spoke in a panicked voice to Morgan, not even sure her words made sense.

She heard the key start turning in the lock. She wished Morgan was there to protect her- she needed it more than ever in that moment. But, because of her, he got shot and was laying in a hospital bed.

She was stupid, an idiot, she should have known better. All she had to do was hit ignore, and he would never have known. Never. But she was naïve- through ALL this, she was STILL naïve enough to answer the phone.

He burst through the door. His face was red and he was coming toward her, angrier than she had ever seen him- and considering her experiences, that was bad.

Before she knew it, she was on the ground. He kicked her, again, and again, waving the gun in the air wildly. "I told you Penelope!" He yelled, his foot connecting with her already broken and extremely painful ribs. "I warned you, but as always, you were stupid."

Why couldn't he just shoot her already? At that point, she didn't imagine death could be any more painful than what he was putting her through.

"Did you really think you were going to get away with it? Huh?" Her momentarily went black when his foot connected with her head. "Did you really think I was going to let you go off and fuck Derek Morgan, again?" There was no use in telling him that nothing had happened in the first place. He'd never believe it.

He stepped back for a few seconds, his face grew a little calmer and his lips curled into a smirk. "Did you really think that you would still be alive when your precious team came to save you?"

* * *

"JJ." Morgan spoke into the phone. "Tell me your close, please." He had just got finished talking to Penelope and, to say the least, he was panicking.

"Morgan? What's going on?" She asked, obviously concerned.

"I.. I don't know actually. But something-" His voice caught in his throat, and he tried to choke back the tears. "Something is seriously wrong. I'm afraid that he- that Kevin- is going to… he's going to-," He couldn't bring himself to say 'kill her'. It hurt and scared him too much to even vocalize.

"We're about five minutes out." JJ said. He heard the sirens blasting, and he hoped that there was no traffic, and that the warehouse was not hard to find. Even the smallest complication, the slightest lapse in time…could cost them Penelope's life, and he wasn't willing to risk that.

* * *

"Kill me." Kevin raised his eyebrows and looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?" He asked.

"Just kill me." Penelope was surprised at how strong her voice sounded. "If you're going to kill me, then just do it. Anything would be better than being here with you for another second of my life."

Kevin's tough façade seemed to falter. "You don't mean that." He said, trying to sound angry but sounded more hurt.

"I do." She said simply. It was working. She'd been trying to distract him, just long enough for the team to get there, and she knew him well enough to know how to. And, it was working.

"You love me Penelope." He said. "We were together for almost a year. You stayed with me. You _love _me."

"Correction." She said. "I _loved _you, at first. But the reason- the real reason- I stayed with you, was because I was afraid of you. I was afraid that if I tried to leave you would _kill me." _

He was rendered speechless for a few seconds, just staring at her with his mouth open in shock. And then, he started to raise his gun. "You asked for this Penelope." She thought the end was hear, and she closed her eyes.

And then, he turned the gun and shot himself in the chest.

Blood spattered, covering her body. She slowly opened her eyes. Why wasn't she hurt? Why wasn't she _dead_? That was when she saw his body, the gun lying on the floor beside his motionless hands, blood gurgling from his mouth.

That was when she heard it, the sound, more beautiful than a choir of angels: Sirens.

* * *

**I know, I know. Trust me, I'm just as shocked as you are that Lynch killed himself, but at least the problem is now eliminated :D. Just asking, does this need to be rated M? Or is it safe the way it is? It gets pretty graphic, I guess. And no, it's not over. I literally have no plans for the rest of it, so I don't even have an idea of how many more chapters there will be. They all have a lot of healing left to do. Sorry if it's not the best chapter. Reviews are inspiration :D **


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